And So He Cried
by Callista Miralni
Summary: Sorry Sasuke. This is the last time." Indeed, Sasuke thought bitterly, it was. Chapter 402 spoilers. Manga-based brother one-shot.


And So He Cried

Callista Miralni

* * *

Numb. The last forty-eight hours left him numb. Uchiha Sasuke distractedly stared off into the distance, watching the waves break along the shore. The last moments of his fight with his nii-san replayed over and over again, Itachi's dying gesture haunting him still.

What goes around comes around.

Even after all these years, these last eight or nine years (He lost count after awhile), Sasuke still never knew Itachi. There was so much of his nii-san that Sasuke could not understand. His brother, the same kind and caring older brother he had as a child, could not, despite his prodigious status, be the same cold-hearted killer who executed the entire Uchiha clan.

Only they were.

And it was all for him.

Sasuke never felt so ashamed in his entire life.

This… _lack_ of knowledge and understanding frustrated the teen. Sasuke realized that he had been manipulated (again) into doing someone else's bidding. In some ways, Itachi had not changed since their childhood. He still poked him on the forehead and promised him "that he'd do it some other time." He still stood distant from everyone else, trapped within a whirlwind of obligations. He was still a pacifist, despite his exceptional skill.

_Itachi_ made the second move in their fight. He tried to "talk" to Sasuke before their battle commenced. He never attacked, only defended himself as necessary.

_Itachi_ was still obeying higher authority, the Konohagakure Council of Elders and Uchiha Madara. He followed their orders silently, but kept them at an arm's distance. They still held the key to releasing him from his prison.

_Itachi_ poked him on the forehead, instead of gouging out his eyes for his own selfish means. Trapped within his own fear, Sasuke assumed that it would be the end of him, despite his brother's obvious unhealthy condition.

Poke.

"Sorry Sasuke. This is the last time."

This is the last time.

_The last time_.

And Uchiha Itachi smiled before closing his eyes and slipping into an eternal sleep.

Standing on the seaside cliff, distantly surrounded by Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin, and Uchiha Madara, the proud and focused Uchiha Sasuke let himself slip back into the past. Here and there flashes of Kakashi's and Sakura's last words to him before he left Konoha wormed their way into his mind before being overshadowed by memories of Itachi.

Damn them, they were right. Kakashi and Sakura were absolutely right. But they were about to become a part of something much bigger. Sasuke would crush Konoha in order to seek, no, _demand,_ answers from the Council. The Sandaime was dead, the Godaime was ignorant, as well as a vast majority of the village. Despite his nuke-nin status, Sasuke could not kill innocent people. It weighed too heavily on his conscience, as Orochimaru noted. Could he really tear down all Itachi's efforts to keep him safe and ignorant in Konoha? Could he deliberately go against Itachi's wishes and follow in the footsteps of his power-hungry father and clan elders?

Sasuke didn't care to think about that anymore. The memories kept coming back to him, one after the other at a dizzying pace. After all these years, the empty promise of training with him, Itachi granted him his persistent childhood request. Every promise Itachi made to him was fulfilled in that ultimate, grueling battle.

"Sorry Sasuke. This is the last time."

_Yes, Nii-san. _Sasuke silently agreed. _This is the last time._

And so he cried.

* * *

Author's Note-

Just about had a heart attack when this chapter came out. I read it a few days after the release 'cause I was busy at A-Kon 19. Anyways, just about cried when Kishimoto-sensei finally revealed Itachi's last words to Sasuke. My cousin, visiting from out-of-town, thought I was insane.

A few notes: yes, this was directly taken from Chapter 402. The little flashback with Kakashi and Sakura, was thrown in just for the irony. Also, the comment Orochimaru made also is a slight flashback from chapter 324-ish and is ironic in regards to the plan Sasuke has to "crush Konoha." That's Sasuke's actual words according to the translation.

I thought I'd try my hand at another sibling one-shot. My other one, Missing, did pretty well with the Narnia fan base. A quick search on fan fiction revealed that no one had written anything yet so I'm the first? I think I am anyways. But please, tell me if you like it. Constructive criticism is welcome, as always, so don't be shy! I need inspiration for Spiral and Fallen Through!

Ja-  
Callista Miralni


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